Teach Me How To Fall
by Myweakest-link
Summary: Emily's life didn't quite work out as she planned after college, unable to swim any more she returns to college to coach 4 years later hoping to find the excitement that's missing from her life. What she finds is something else entirely...something completely unexpected and much bigger than she could have ever imagined. Emily/Paige fic. set in Alternative PLL Universe.
1. Chapter 1

**Teach Me How To Fall**

**Chapter 1**

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm trying something new with this story and doing a complete A/U. This story takes place in an alternative PPL universe. A never existed and Emily never dated Maya. I'm sure you'll notice many characters and situations that are similar though and hopefully I will do a good enough job so you get a picture of who everyone is and what their backgrounds are. **

**I plan to make this a many chaptered fic so... stick with me :)**

* * *

**Emily's POV**

I checked my reflection in the glass of the door before I entered the building; I hadn't made much of an effort this morning as I'd woken up late. My hair was still slightly damp from my shower and I now regretted not putting any makeup on the bags under my eyes. I knew it didn't really matter though, I was back in the place where people didn't really care what you looked like… skill was much more valued than looking good was.

It felt strange to be walking the route I knew so well towards Coach Dawson's office after 4 years away. The place hadn't changed much except for a few more team photos hung on the wall of the deserted corridor I was making my way down. The same smell I had somehow fallen in love with freshman year filled my lungs as I passed the entrance to the changing rooms and reached the familiar door I had knocked on nervously many times.

I knocked much more confidently this morning despite the unsettling sense of déjà vu.

"Come in" Coach Dawson's voice brought a nostalgic smile to my face; it was so strong and deep for a woman. She had mastered the art of intimidation that was for sure, I used to dread hearing that voice shout my last name but now I was no longer a student here it only made me smile. I remember telling my parents when I came home from college for Christmas vacation that she was the scariest woman I had ever met in my life, but I realised after a while she also had the best heart. She knew the importance of discipline but all the girls on the team had common respect for the coach who dedicated her life to make us champions.

I pushed the door open and the woman behind the desk looked up to see her visitor. Her face changed when she saw me and she stood up with a smirk.

"Emily!" She greeted me and beckoned me over to her.

"Coach!" I smiled back and accepted the embrace she was offering, she patted me on the back the way my dad did when he hugged me.

"I didn't think you would make it until afternoon practice" she seemed happy that I was here early.

"I came back into town last night, I know how much you appreciate someone who makes an early start" I joked and she laughed and held her hands up as she replied.

"Finally, I've made an impression on someone!"

It had been a long time since I had been in her company and I was thankful that the four years I had been away had been long enough that I no longer felt like a naïve teenager in her presence, I felt _somewhat _of an equal to my old swimming coach, _almost. _

When I had called her 2 months ago I wasn't sure what sort of response I would get. She had been supportive when I had my accident last year and she had tried to use her contacts to arrange the best rehab team for me, but when it became clear that the rehab wasn't going to be much use and that I wasn't going to be able to swim professionally anymore, I subconsciously, or consciously I'm not sure, cut ties with my old swimming life.

I'd been surprised when instead of accepting my idea of coming back to Stanford to volunteer and try and get some coaching experience she had offered me a chance to join the coaching team as an assistant coach, it was everything I could have hoped for now I could no longer swim like I wanted to.

"How are you holding up?" She asked with that concerned edge and I knew exactly what she was referring too. I knew she understood unlike some other people how hard it had been for me to give up my dream. People didn't realise that it meant redefining everything in your life, letting go of the person I had always been and trying to find another path for my life. Not everyone understood… but I knew Coach Dawson did, aside from my parents she had been the one who had believed in me the most.

"It's a lot better now" I replied, unsure if I was being honest or not. It _was _better now … but it was hard to come to terms with the fact that 4 years ago I was stood in this very room with the whole world at my feet… and now I was stood begging for a job to teach other people how to be superstars. I had already talked to her about this on the phone and I was thankful when she didn't press the subject any further.

"I'm happy to have you here Fields, I think you'll be just what the girls need right now"

I smiled at the compliment even though I was starting to feel a bit nervous about my ability to coach and mentor these girls who were not really that much younger than I was. I had forgotten how talented Coach Dawson was at reading people when she gave me a reassuring pat on the arm.

"I need to see some of that confidence you had the day of National Championships when you won us that title" She reminded me of one of the proudest moments of my life and I felt my confidence grow a little. _I was good once… I was awesome. _

"You got it" I gave her my game face and she nodded as she rubbed her hands together.

"Plus, I won't be giving you any responsibilities you can't handle yet… you need to learn how to float before you can swim" _She loved swimming analogies. _

"I can't wait to learn" However much this was never my plan I couldn't deny that it was exciting, I couldn't wait to throw myself back into the world of swimming again.

"Come on, we'll get your t-shirt sorted… the girls will be at the pool for morning practice soon"

I nodded at her instruction and followed her out of the office, just like old times.

* * *

**Paige's POV**

"I'm not drinking this" Shana held the coffee out in front of her as if it contained toxic waste.

"It was only half a sugar I swear, I stopped pouring as soon as I remembered you were sweet enough without sugar already" I flashed my eyelashes at her and I got a snort in response.

"Nice try" she rolled her eyes. "Why would you ruin coffee with sugar?" It was like she was talking more to herself than to me. I grabbed the offending untouched drink out of her hand and quickened my pace so I could catch up with Brooke.

"Brooke, would _you _care for a coffee, Queen Shana over there is too good for my coffee" My team mate laughed and accepted the drink.

"Let me guess, sugar?"

"Bingo" I laughed as Shana caught up with us and continued to whine about her lack of pure caffeine.

We were used to early starts by now, Coach Dawson had pushed our practices even earlier this last year so we could maximise our time in the pool, but even after 2 years of early morning college swimming… caffeine was greatly appreciated to wake me up.

The changing rooms were hot and stuffy this morning and I ditched my nearly finished beverage in the trash before I got myself undressed into the red and white swimsuit. Shana was still moaning beside me about something I was no longer listening to, she was often too much to deal with in the am.

"Jeez McCullers what happened to your ass" She pointed at the darkening bruise I had forgotten was there until just now. "You've not been having kinky sex again have you?" She raised one eyebrow.

"Shut up" I laughed at her suggestiveness. "I fell off my bike" I answered honestly.

"If you say so" she shrugged her shoulder with a confident smile.

"Why are you staring at my ass anyway you perv?"

"Don't flatter yourself, it's nothing I've not seen before" She flung her hair over her shoulder with a wink and walked in the direction of the training pool with her trademark confident swagger, I couldn't help but laugh.

Being the only gay girls in our team meant people assumed things about me and Shana, they assumed our flirting was more than what we both knew it was, they assumed that there was something going on. There wasn't.

Well maybe there was _one _incident... _two If you count the time at Halloween _I remembered with a snigger… I didn't see how it was my fault Shana had access to the hottest Halloween outfits as an employee.

Shana _had _seen my ass before… and other parts of me. It was alright between us two though, we knew where our boundaries were and we knew that the drunken hook up that happened freshman year was not something to get hung up on. Shana was hot but she was so far off my potential girlfriend radar it made me laugh when our teammates suggested it, and I knew the feeling was mutual.

I checked the bruise (which was more on my thigh than my ass but I knew Shana just liked saying the word) and it definitely looked worse than it felt. I needed to be more careful on my midnight bike rides, especially when rain was involved.

I joined the rest of the girls who were stretching at the pool side starting on my own perfected stretch routine.

"Moring ladies" Coach Dawson's booming voice was enough to wake up anyone who hadn't had any coffee this morning.

"Coach" Everyone greeted in their usual polite but 'Its-still-ridiculously-early' tone.

I'd made my way over to Shana now and she pointed at my bruise as I approached mouthing the word 'kinky' at me again as I mouthed back a half-hearted 'fuck you'.

"I have someone to introduce you to" The stretching stopped at her words and everyone looked up to see who the person in question was.

My eyes fell on the brunette woman who was standing next to Coach Dawson rocking back and forth on her heels. She was wearing a Stanford swim shirt that staff members wore but I took note of the fact that she didn't look that old.

"This is Emily Fields, she'll be joining our coaching team here as an assistant coach" The older woman introduced and the brunette, Emily, gave a small wave to the group of swimmers. "Nice to meet you all" She said simply. She seemed slightly nervous but as Coach Dawson carried on speaking she seemed to ease up.

"A Stanford graduate and one of the best swimmers I've seen pass through these waters" She shared a genuine fond look with the new assistant coach and it was almost funny to see how kind Coach Dawson was to this woman, she was obviously fond of her. I could see why she would be; just by looking at her you could tell she was the sweet 'girl next door' type of girl. _Just Dyke Dawson's kind of girl _I could imagine Shana's crude comment about our coaches _assumed _sexuality.

The girl's mouth was turned in a polite smile and she was responding to Coach Dawson's compliment modestly.

"Such a good swimmer she ended up right back where she started before she even hit 30" I heard Shana whisper into my ear and I rolled my eyes at her assertion.

"Shhh, she seems nice" I found myself defending this woman for some reason, she was pushing her hair back with her hand now and I noticed just how thick and long it was. I tried to guess her age and I settled on no more than 26.

"Put your eyes back in your head McCullers, one pretty girl and you go all goo-goo eyed"

"Fuck off" I whispered back in Shana's direction and despite the blush that was creeping onto my cheeks we both laughed lightly, I hadn't even noticed the fact that I was indeed checking her out.

"McCullers, you want to share the joke with the rest of us?" Coach Dawson's voice snapped me out of my laughter and I met her eyes apologetically.

"Sorry coach" she didn't say anything else; her stare was enough to end the matter.

Coach Dawson clapped her hands "Right, enough introductions…Swimming time" she ended the little meeting with a wave of her hand and we returned to what we did every morning. I moved to follow the rest of the girls to the edge of the pool when my name interrupted me.

"McCullers run to my office and get me the clipboard on my desk" It was obvious that I was going to be made to regret my little laughter session. I nodded and pulled my sweat pants back on, I wasn't going out into the corridor like this.

I felt eyes on me and I moved my head to find a pair of brown eyes looking at me, Emily Fields looked away quickly when I looked back at her. Shana was right; she was pretty… very pretty. I let my eyes wander down her body just to confirm the fact that she was indeed as hot as first thought. Confirmed.

I looked away before anyone would see the slight blush that was creeping onto my cheeks. I laughed to myself as I made my way to the office. _What can I say? I have a weakness for pretty women._

* * *

**Emily's POV**

"Emily freaking Fields" The voice saying my name was a familiar one and I swung around to see my college friend Hanna walking through the bar to greet me.

I got up off the bar stool to run and give her a hug, she embraced me energetically and swung me back and forth. "I missed you!" She said in her usual excited tone.

"I missed you too Han" I had moved out of California when I had graduated to follow my swimming career, when I had the accident last year, I could never quite face moving back to the place I loved so much so instead I'd moved home to Philly for a while.

Hanna was from California so it was only natural for her to stay here once she graduated, she was working at a fashion magazine, she was still running errands and making coffee but it was the start of what she had always wanted to do.

"I can't believe you're back, I'm so happy you got the coaching job… must be fun to boss people around?"

"I'm only an assistant coach" I laughed, knowing Hanna she probably thought I had walked right in and now ran the whole of the swimming department. "But yeah, me too it's great to be back!" It was my first full day back in the state and I already remembered why I had fallen in love with it here. I missed the weather but I missed my life here and Hanna the most. Out of all my friends I had met at college she was the person I had grown closest to, when I turned up freshman year and found I was sharing a dorm with a fashion crazy blonde who never stopped talking I thought we wouldn't get on… but she is now my best friend.

"How was your first day anyway?" She was bubbling over with energy like normal as I passed her the drink I had ordered for her. "Was it weird going back as a coach?"

"A little" I answered honestly. "But I think it'll be good… once I get used to it"

"You'll be great" she reassured me with a smile. "How's moving into the apartment going? I've bet you've not had a chance to sort anything out"

"Not really, my flight got in late last night and I've told Ben to leave me to unpack my things when I get back tonight."

"I bet he's happy you're finally back for good and moving in with him?"

"He is, long distance was getting hard for us" I admitted, because it really was. There was a point after my accident when I was at my lowest that I thought I couldn't do a relationship, especially not a long distance one. But Ben understood… he gave me space and let me deal with what I had to.

It had been 4 years since I first went on a date with him, senior year… _god that seems like a lifetime ago._ Back then he was a college basketball 'superstar' jock and I was the star of the swim team, _how sad that seems now._

He was now working in Insurance, a job in an office neither of us thought he would ever have… and I was back at Stanford coaching. _Real life doesn't always happen like you imagine when you're young and hopeful_ I contemplated.

I must have been lost in my own thoughts as Hanna's hand waving in front of my face snapped me out of my thinking.

"Sorry" She was asking me something. "What did you say?"

"I said are you excited to finally live together officially? It about time after 4 years… do I hear the church bells ringing sometime soon?" Hanna raised her eyebrows with a smirk and I shook my head quickly.

"No way" I shook my head. That was the last thing on my mind right now. It was going to be a big enough step moving in together; I needed no talk of marriage to freak me out even more.

Hanna laughed at my expression. She more than anyone knew the issues I had with letting people into my personal life, It had taken Ben 5 attempts to get me to go on a date with him and even more for me to finally let him call me his girlfriend. Now he had I was better, I liked the feeling of being with someone and I was lucky to have a guy like Ben… but _marriage_… I shivered. There was no need for Hanna to buy a hat just yet.

"Oh I never asked how did your date go with… what was his name.. Callum?" I changed the subject.

"Caleb" Hanna corrected and straight away I knew it was a hit, I'd only seen this dreamy look on her face a few times in our friendship… and most of the time it was when she had just bought a new pair of shoes. "It was great; we're seeing each other again tomorrow night. He's so not my usual type but he just… he has something about him"

I was glad he wasn't her usual type, her _usual _type normally meant _asshole_.

"I'm happy for you Han you deserve some good luck" we both said cheers to that and brought our glasses up to meet with a small clink.

"I actually missed this place" Hanna said as she looked around the bar. It was quite a small place but it always seemed to be busy due to its close location to campus and its good drink deals. As a young student it was the place me and the team used to come to celebrate whenever there was something worth celebrating… sometimes that included just the fact most of us had good fake ID. I knew it wasn't high end enough for Hanna to visit on her own, she was more into fancy restaurants and wine bars these days… but I knew she had a soft spot for this little old place just like I did.

"Remember that time we were here with Spencer and she won that arm wrestling competition with like 5 guys" Hanna nearly choked on her drink at the memory I described.

"Oh my god, I'll never forget the look on their faces when her skinny arms turned out to be made of steel" We both laughed at the memory of our friend. We had met Spencer through Aria who was in a few of Hanna's classes in freshman year. The four of us became good friends instantly and I suddenly wished the girls were here now. Aria was doing an internship in Europe though and Spencer was… Spencer was somewhere in the world doing Spencer things. She was difficult to keep up with that girl.

"So, another drink… or do you have to head home?" Hanna asked with puppy dog eyes after we had been talking about memories of the four of us for a few minutes.

I checked the time. "One more, Ben can wait" I laughed and Hanna seemed happy with this answer.

* * *

**Paige's POV**

"Come on Andy you can do better than that" I used the nickname Shana hated, but Shana and Anderson got boring so I often shortened the girls last name.

"Paige you're really not helping me concentrate" She was getting angry as she took one more go and completely missed the ball she was aiming for. She passed the pool cue to Brooke with a huff and sat back down on the old couch in the corner. "I hate playing pool with you" She glared at me and it just made me laugh even more.

I bent down to take my go and find the best angle, I hit the ball I was aiming for and the small ball fell into the pocket I was hoping it would. "Are you willing to take on the machine which is Paige McCullers" I asked to Brooke with a cocky smirk.

The small girl gave me a confident look and rolled the cue in her hands. "Don't be so cocky McCullers, you've never seen me in action"

"Go ahead" I pointed to the table and indicated for her to take a shot. I appreciated the fact that the girls on the team were all competitive. It wasn't fun to win against someone who wasn't really that bothered about winning, and It was even more frustrating when people would pretend they 'let you win'… no one on the team would ever admit to that. That's the reason I got on so well with the girls I swam with, they understood me in a way I had often been misunderstood my whole life.

At high school I would describe myself as a bit of an outsider, it wasn't that I wanted to be… I just never found anyone I could be myself with. _Maybe I was a little aggressive too_ I thought guiltily… apparently I had a field hockey penalty named after me. High school was a difficult time for me, with realising I was gay and losing my mom… I struggled with the whole 'enjoying the high school experience'. I tried not to think too much about those days as it only ever made me sad.

Brooke and Shana were not only my team mates and roommates but my best friends and I knew that they had my back with anything, but I still had never told them the truth about everything I had gone through. It just wasn't my style. I didn't do talking about feelings… I did swimming and running and riding. That was who I was. I was happy with who I was now, I was proud of how far I'd come and how well I was doing. The past could stay as the past for all I was concerned.

"She shoots, she scores" Brooke was doing a little dance with the cue as she gave me a cocky smirk herself.

"Oh it's so on" I laughed and picked my own cue back up.

"I hate you both" Shana said from her position in the corner and we both ignored her as I took another go. We were waiting for a few others to join us at the bar. Some girls from the team and Brooke's boyfriend Sean was bringing some of his friends in a bit. _The bible crew_ as Shana dubbed them. I had nothing against Sean, he was a great guy and he made Brooke happy, he spent a lot of time round at our apartment and I had grown to really get on with him… but his friends were a bore and so republican it hurt my democrat heart. They never really approved of us using our fake ID to get drinks… but it never stopped us.

"Oh _hello_ coach hottie" Shana had put the drink she was sipping down and raised her eyebrows in the direction of the bar.

I looked up to the far side of the room away from where we were having our game of pool and saw the woman we were introduced to this morning stood at the bar with a blonde girl. She wasn't dressed in the t-shirt and sports shorts anymore; instead she was wearing a sleeveless silky top and tight black jeans with boots. 'Coach hottie' was very accurate.

"What was her name again?" Brooke had taken a look in her direction and decided to return to taking her turn at pool.

"Emily Fields" I answered quickly, still looking at the woman.

I heard a snigger from Shana and Brooke and I turned around curiously. "What?" I asked innocently.

"Someone was paying attention" Shana gave me a mocking glare and I shot my usual 'fuck you' glare right back at her.

"She better not say anything to Coach Dawson about these" Brooke pointed to the beers we were drinking. We were all still a few months off being legal to drink and Coach Dawson was very keen on ensuring we stuck to the rules.

"She's not really paying us or_ these_ much attention so don't fret" Shana answered in that self-assured way she had. She glanced back over at the two women "You reckon that's her girlfriend?" Shana loved to assume everyone was gay.

"There's no way she's gay" Brooke beat me to answering and Shana almost looked offended at Brooke's certainty.

"And why not?"

"She just… doesn't give that vibe" She elaborated.

"And Paige and I do?"

"Sort of"

"I like that" Shana seemed smug at the fact she gave a gay 'vibe', I had to laugh.

"I agree with Brooke, no way she is"

"Well… you know what I say…" Shana began. "Gay until proven straight" Me and Brooke finished her favourite saying with a chuckle before I returned to beating her small ass at pool.

* * *

**Emily's POV**

I excused myself to the bathroom after 2 more drinks and I could already feel my head had been affected by the alcohol, I knew I should probably head home soon. _One more drink _with Hanna never really means _one more drink. _

I pulled my phone out of my purse and sent a quick text to let Ben know I wouldn't be too late. I felt a little bad on him as I had planned to make us dinner, but I was sure he would understand that I needed this catch up with Hanna badly. It had been too long since I'd seen my best friend. Ben had visited a lot when I'd been home but Hanna was too busy at work to take enough time off.

I pushed open the swinging door to the ladies room and noticed a girl stood at the wash basin fixing her hair in the mirror with one hand. I made my way to the nearest cubicle in the small bathroom.

"Coach Fields?" The girl spoke cautiously like she wasn't entirely sure of her words or how to say them.

I turned round and nodded my head slowly, "yeah" I'm sure I looked unsure myself, I wasn't used to hearing my name with 'coach' attached to it.

Now she had turned around I recognised her from the girls on the team, she looked different in her normal clothes…she looked much older. She was wearing a t-shirt with a black waistcoat and the look suited her.

"McCullers, right?" I asked, remembering how Coach Dawson had addressed her.

"Paige McCullers" She stuck her hand out and I took it in a light handshake. She had a strange sort of confidence and a small smile on her lips.

I cursed myself for feeling a little awkward. I wasn't sure how to act in this situation, was I supposed to be formal or ask why she was in a bar when I was sure she wasn't of age yet? The idea felt crazy to me, I was only 5 years older than her at the most, plus the fact that I did exactly the same when I was in college. I was meant to be some sort of role model now, a teacher… I wasn't meant to be making friends. But I couldn't escape the feeling that this girl could swim better than I could right now, I felt very unqualified to pretend otherwise.

I realised suddenly that I was still holding this girls hand and I let go a little bit too quickly. She gave me a curious look but that smile was still there. I didn't know why I hadn't said anything yet. _Moron._ _I'm gonna make an excellent coach with this mouth on me_, I thought sarcastically at myself.

"Nice to meet you properly" she dipped her head a little as she spoke.

"Likewise" I smiled back politely.

"Anyway...I'll let you pee…" She nodded her head in the direction of the cubicle and I remembered my initial reason for coming into the bathroom in the first place.

"Yes… yeah thank you" I said. _Thank you… did I just thank her for letting me go pee? _

"See you at practice tomorrow" I found my voice again as I made my way into the cubicle with a small smile her way. She had an interesting way of lingering eye contact that made me feel a little flustered.

"See you then" she replied as she made her way out of the bathroom, I heard her leave as I sat down.

I was 25, If I couldn't handle talking to one girl in a bar… how was I going to manage coaching an entire team full of talented swimmers… I really needed to learn the trick of this coaching thing and I knew that started with having confidence in myself. I wasn't just some random person teaching these girls, I swam for three years after college… I was one step away from making it big. I had a lot to offer.

_I just had to keep telling myself that so I would believe it._

* * *

__**This is just a short introduction chapter, I hope you enjoyed it so far. Would love to hear your comments. - Thanks. **

**Also: Just a note to any readers who read my other story Begin agian. It's not been updated for a long time and I'm sorry about that, I'm taking a bit of a break with it until I can tackle it with creativity again. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, I really appreciate it. I apologise for how long I haven't updated... life got in the way big time. But i'm back and I hope you enjoy the second chapter. **

* * *

**Paige's POV**

"What are you smiling at?" Shana asked as I sat down in the space next to her on the couch. I hadn't realised I was smiling as I made my way back from the bathroom. The news didn't shock me though; Coach hottie was just as hot up close and personal even if she did seem a little socially awkward.

I wasn't about to give Shana the satisfaction of knowing that though so I shrugged my shoulders and tilted my head towards her playfully.

"I don't know, maybe it was just seeing your perfect face from across the room… it got me all cheery" I teased her.

"Turned you on more like" She pouted comically and I laughed.

"It's not your face that turns me on" It was our usual banter.

"You girls need to get a room?" One of Sean's friends, I think his name was Dan… or Dean… I didn't really care, spoke in our direction.

I rolled my eyes at his remark. I normally didn't care about people joining in on the teasing especially as me and Shana were the number one culprits of inappropriate jokes… but there was something in the way he said it that made him seem like an ass, like he was mocking us.

"Why you wanna watch?" Shana was quick to say back, her usual sassy tone of voice turned up a notch. There was nothing flirtatious about her tone it was more challenging like she was daring him to say yes and see what happened.

"I'll pass" He said and I made a note of his wise decision. This wasn't the first time him and Shana had clashed over things, they didn't get on that was for sure and everyone else in the group was aware of it. Sean denied it but I knew this guy was freaked out by the fact Shana and I were gay… and it was something Shana couldn't let drop. I had gotten used to ignoring the homophobes but she could never quite manage that.

"Who wants to go get some pizza?" Sean's positive voice interrupted the awkward silence and I caught his eye with a smile, he was good at moving the conversation away from dangerous territory. I would never tolerate hanging around with these guys if Sean wasn't the sort of guy he was, I would forgive his shitty choice of friends because of his amazing ideas… like getting pizza.

"I could murder some pepperoni" Brookes tone of voice was the exact same as her boyfriends. I had to smile at how completely matched they were in their dorkiness.

There was a general agreement around the group that pizza was the best idea of the evening. We got up to leave after the last of us had finished our drinks.

As I stood up I felt Shana tug on my hand urgently with her own. "Shit shit shit shit shit" she was whispering under her breath as she ducked her head behind where I was stood, pulling me so I was fully in front of her line of vision.

"Shana, what the hell?" I laughed because I had no idea what was going on.

"Stalker alert… I repeat, stalker alert"

I glanced to where she was pointing with her finger and saw a small girl who had just entered the bar, she walked towards an empty bar stool and took a seat like she was waiting for someone.

"That's Mona?" this was brilliant. "You didn't tell me she was _that _small… what is she like 3 foot?" I teased and Shana dug her nails into my arm.

"Stop joking, If she sees me she's gonna start calling me and texting me and bugging me all over again and you will have to put up with it just as much as me" Shana voice was low in what I knew was her 'threatening' tone.

I looked back at the girl and she looked innocent enough, in fact she looked like she had walked right out of Sunday school. Shana had met Mona a few months ago when she had consumed a little too much alcohol and she had gone back to the other girl's apartment for what she had assumed would be one of her usual no strings attached one night stands with a bored straight girl. Mona had other ideas it seemed.

To call her a stalker may be a _little _over the top, but whatever the word is for someone who leaves 15 voicemails a day for 2 weeks with no reply after knowing someone for 24 hours… that's what Mona was.

"She's looking over this way, hide me" Shana pulled me further in front of her and I couldn't help but think that this obvious show of hiding herself was drawing more attention.

"Relax, just walk out casually. If she sees you just smile and wave or just ignore her" I provided, what I thought, was a solid plan.

"'Smile and wave'… Paige, _seriously, _did you not hear a thing I said about this girl in the last few months _she is relentless"_ Her eyes were wide and I had to force myself not to laugh.

"Come on" I dragged her up by the arm and positioned her in the direction of the door, she had to pass by where the smaller girl was sat to reach it.

I heard Shana curse under her breath as we were half way across the bar when Mona turned in her chair and looked directly at us.

"Shana!" She directed at my friend. She left the bar stool and crossed the short distance to where we were, stopping awkwardly a few feet away. "I was hoping I'd see you again sometime… I called you a few times, did you get my messages? Maybe I have the wrong number, shall I call you and check?" she was talking fast and I watched as Shana's mouth opened and closed trying to find the way to shut this girl down.

"Mona right?" Shana asked cautiously and the girls face fell a little at the thought that Shana wasn't completely sure of her name, but the smile returned when she spoke again.

"Yeah" she really did have crazy eyes as Shana had joked. "I tried to add you on facebook but I realised I didn't know your last name… and there's a surprisingly large number of Shana's in the local area." She laughed at herself "You want to go out sometime? I remember you said you liked Mexican food, I could book us a table at this little place downtown on Friday?"

It was all I could do to stare in disbelief at this girl; Shana must have been _really _good in bed that night to deserve this level of commitment from her.

"Look, I'm flattered… but I don't really think that's a good idea" Shana was taking a few small steps backwards as she spoke.

"You don't like Mexican food… was it Thai that you said you liked?" I held back a laugh. _Wow._ I felt a little sorry for the girl then, she obviously had no idea that Shana was brushing her off.

"It's not the food" I could tell Shana was trying not to laugh herself. "I'm just not… you're not… what I mean to say is…" Wording 'you're crazy and I'm not interested' in a polite way was obviously hard even for someone as good with words as Shana.

"She's not available" It came out of my mouth before I could think. I caught Shana's eye and she caught my understanding. I walked up to my friend and took her hand in mine. Mona seemed to notice I was there for the first time and she looked surprised.

"I'm Paige, Shana's girlfriend" I flashed her what I hoped would be a slightly intimidating smile.

"Oh" Mona's mind registered what I was saying as she nodded. "I didn't realise, sorry"

"It's fine, just stop hitting on my girlfriend and we'll be all good" I laughed and put an arm around Shana's shoulder for extra effect.

The smaller girl nodded the excitement she had before gone now. _I feel a little bad. _I admitted… but I had to save my friend from the crazy.

"Anyway, we need to get going" Shana was holding the hand of the arm I had over her and she pointed to the door. There was a bit of awkward nodding before Mona returned to the bar stool and we finally turned around and headed towards the exit, keeping our hands interlocked as we did.

"You're an evil genius" Shana laughed under her breath when we were far enough away from Mona.

"I know" I laughed and was thankful the rest of the group we were with were already outside and couldn't tease us about the hand holding. The bar was getting quieter now but I could still see Emily Fields sat at a table with her blond friend. We made eye contact for a second and I saw her eyes dart down to my hands that were interlocked with my teammate before they returned to mine. We shared the smallest of polite smiles before she looked away again and Shana and I reached the doors to outside. _Great, there goes another person at swim practice who will think me and Shana are an item. _

I let go of her hand as we pushed open the doors and met up with the others.

"I never knew you would be such a protective girlfriend" Shana joked and I laughed properly for the first time.

"No crazy stalker steals my girl" I joked back . "But I _was_ tempted for a second to take her up on that Mexican offer myself" It was Shana's turn to laugh now.

"Come on you goof… we'll get you some pizza" She said as she dragged me to follow the others.

* * *

**Emily's POV**

I looked away from Paige and the girl I recognised from today who she was holding hands with and looked back at Hanna who was searching in her purse for some lip gloss she 'swore was in there'. _So Paige McCullers is dating a girl on the team_, _I wonder how that goes down at practice_ I thought to myself. It wasn't that I wasn't used to people being gay it just shocked me that I hadn't noticed earlier. It sort of made sense when I thought about it though, I couldn't have explained it exactly but she did seem to give off that vibe. Hanna finding her lip gloss brought me out of my thinking.

"Han why do you need lip gloss now, were going home in a minute" I laughed at my friend.

"Em, you never know who you're going to bump into" she winked as she applied a layer.

"The only thing I want to bump into right now is my pillow. I'm exhausted. You've officially tired me out with laughter" I smiled.

"Okay. let's go, I've got to be in early to set up a shoot tomorrow anyway" I nodded at that idea. I needed a somewhat early night if I was going to be up bright and early tomorrow for coaching.

After the ten minute walk home from the bar I put my new key into the lock of Ben's apartment, _our apartment now_, I reminded myself as I pushed the door open. The place had the distinct look and style of being lived in by just a guy and I made a mental note to call at the store when I had chance and buy some things to make it more homely.

"Hey, I'm home" I called down the hall to the open plan kitchen and living room where I could hear the tv was on.

There was no answer and when I entered the room Ben was sleeping on the sofa the remote control lying on top of him forgotten. I laughed at the sight, his mouth was open and he was snoring lightly.

I put my keys down on the counter and saw the take out tray Ben had got for his dinner. The walk home had sobered me up a little and I no longer felt the effects of the few drinks I'd had in the bar with Hanna, but I knew I should have some water just to stop any sign of a hangover tomorrow just in case.

Ben woke up at the sounds I was trying hard not to make.

"Hey babe" He said sleepily as he rubbed his eyes.

"Hey" I gave him a smile as I got my water and took a gulp. "Good sleep?" I asked as he stretched.

"I've had better. Good first day?"

"Yeah it was good, Coach Dawson let me know what she wants me to do and tomorrow I'm going to start working one on one with a few of the girls"

"See, I told you you'd be fine didn't I" He smiled. "How's Hanna? Still working at that awful magazine?" He teased; it was no secret what he thought of fashion magazines.

"It's a good magazine" I rolled my eyes comically; it was no use with him. "But yeah she's good, It was nice to catch up"

"Good stuff" He replied. "Oh yeah… your mom rang" He had stood up now and grabbed the notepad that was near the phone passing me a piece of paper with a few notes on.

"She wants you to call her tomorrow and also she wanted to know if we could make it to your second cousins wedding next month, I told her we'll be there"

"I haven't found out if I'll be able to get the time off work yet" I hated it when he answered things like this without asking me first.

"Babe, I'm sure Coach Dawson won't mind… the woman loves you. It's not like they're gonna fall apart without you there for a few days anyway." He had sat back down now.

"That's not the point, just ask me about things first ok" I couldn't be bothered arguing about this.

"Ok" He held his hands up and laughed. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?" He asked.

"I think I just want to go to bed" I answered honestly.

"I'm down with that" He raised his eyebrows and made his way from the couch towards me, he placed his hands around me when he reached me and they landed on my ass.

"To sleep" I elaborated with a laugh.

He dropped his hands but smiled in understanding. "So it's really not going to be staying up every night having hot sex now we live together?"

"Keep dreaming" I winked at him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You watch a movie though, I just need to be up extra early tomorrow to go through some things with Coach Dawson." He nodded and returned to the couch.

Today was a busy day I needed to start tomorrow fresh and confident. If I was going to do this I intended to do it well.

* * *

"Decent practice today girls, but tomorrow I want you all focused… you hear that McCullers" Coach Dawson raised her eyebrows at the girl who I had begun to realise seemed to rub Coach Dawson up the wrong way more times than not.

"Sure thing Coach" Paige replied as she removed herself from the rest of the team, being the first one to disappear through the doors of the changing room. She had seemed distant today I noted, she wasn't her usual sarcastic self and I had noticed straight away.

I'd been here a week now and it hadn't taken me long to pick up on each girl's individuality's and talent. There was no denying who the star of the team was… Paige McCullers was one of the fastest swimmers I had ever seen.

She wasn't an easy talent to manage though, she was opinionated and cocky and often impossible for me to know how to handle. She unnerved me in a way I had never experienced before, but luckily I hadn't had to coach her alone yet.

Coach Dawson was formidable though and I knew before the swimmer graduated she would be moulded into the person Coach wanted her to be.

"You seemed to have a positive effect of Smith, the technique you showed her really fits with her swimming style… good work" Coach Dawson complimented me casually. I had learnt not to thank her for compliments as she always told me not to… it drew too much attention to the fact she was being kind.

"Coach, did McCullers seem off today, I couldn't help but feel like there was something wrong" I couldn't help but voice my concern about the girl.

"She gets that way" She shrugged her shoulders casually as she carried on writing some notes down on her clipboard. "Keep an eye on her though if you want… rather you than me, I have little time for college drama" she joked and began walking the way back to her office. We were done for the morning I knew, if I went now I would have enough time to catch Paige before she headed off to her classes… but some doubt stopped me. I really didn't know how to be both a coach and a mentor to these girls. Especially girls like Paige.

* * *

**Paige's POV**

"Paige, Wait up!" Shana's voice called from behind me. I didn't slow down.

"Paige" she shouted again and I finally stopped walking.

"I need to get to class" I told her.

"You don't have a class til 10, I know your schedule" She crossed her arms and gave me an enquiring look.

"I'm going to the library" I told her, not really caring about being caught out on my lie. My expression was blank as I turned around again and carried on walking.

"Paige, what's wrong, seriously… you've been weird all morning" she had jogged to keep up with my quick paces.

"I'm fine" I lied easily.

"You're not fine. Your times were crazy off today and you have this miserable look planted on your face like you've seen a ghost" her words made me realise how much I hadn't been able to keep the shit going on inside my head off my face like I thought I could… I hated it. "What's up, you can tell me I'm your best friend"

I took a deep breath. I felt a little guilty then… but it wasn't that I couldn't tell _Shana_… It's that I couldn't speak about this… I didn't know how else to deal with things other than internalising it all in my own mind. I was fucked up and I knew it.

"I just need to be on my own for a bit okay?" I hoped she would understand.

"Paige…" she began to protest and I shook my head.

"Please" I said it as more of a statement than actually asking her and she nodded as I turned round and continued my walking. I needed to be alone, I didn't need Coach Dawson breathing down my neck today, I didn't need Shana and her happy go lucky attitude, I didn't need classes and college I just needed my own head and my own space.

I pulled my phone out of my bag and couldn't help the dull ache in my chest when I saw I still had no reply from my father. I hated myself for leaving a message in the first place. I hated that I had given him the ball to place firmly in his court and now I was waiting like an idiot for a call back. I hated him knowing how much I needed him, especially on a day like today.

It had been 5 years to the day that I had walked into that room. 7:35 in the morning when I had smelt the gas and ran to the garage to find my mom sitting in our old Cadillac the exhaust pipe redirected to fill the car with fumes. 5 years since I had dragged her lifeless body from the car. 5 years since I had ran inside to pry the bottle of whiskey out of my dad's hands and beg him to help me. 5 years since I had watched him sleep off the alcohol as my mother was wheeled away. 5 years since I had to force my father not to drink himself to death and attend his wife's funeral without vomit on his suit. 5 years since I had stopped being the little girl I once was.

I shoved the cell phone out of my sight. I didn't need a constant reminder that even though my dad was no longer a drunk, I was still the least important thing in his life. He'd moved on, he'd got sober and remarried and he was now no more than a guy who helped pay my bills. I knew I blamed him, I blamed him for so many things… I hated him… but I still needed him, _wanted him to care _and that's the thing I hated most of all.

I was aware there were tears in my eyes as I took a shortcut to the sports fields through the parking lot. I was determined not to cry though; I hated being weak.

I did a pretty good job of it too, most of the time I succeeded keeping the lid of my emotions screwed on tightly, I hated being that girl who had a sob story… the girl who was a victim. That girl was a bore, that girl was pathetic and I hated being pathetic. But days like today it always seemed to get too much.

"Paige, are you okay?" A faint voice spoke in my direction. It wasn't until I heard her voice that I noticed her getting out of her car.

"Fuck" I muttered to myself, this was the last thing I wanted.

"Coach Fields" I said, trying my hardest to put the same edge of confidence I always tried to portray into my words. "I'm good" I hoped I was doing a good job.

"You sure? You seemed… deep in thought" I watched the way that her eyes narrowed in concern and it almost amused me how sincere she looked. I held her gaze for a minute and was hit with that same feeling I had the other day in the bar, this woman definitely had a quality about her that made my head swarm… and it ran deeper than the fact that she was incredibly good looking.

"You were watching me?" I raised an eyebrow, I meant it as a joke but she reacted almost defensively. It was almost endearing.

"I was just about to go home but I saw you walking and you seemed a little sad…" She mumbled.

"I'm fine… I didn't sleep that well is all" I lied and she nodded slowly. She looked at me again and it felt strange to me how much I felt like she was reading me.

"If you say so" She fiddled with the keys in her hands.

"I do" I didn't mean for it to sound so defensive but it was my default reaction to people asking about my emotions, it was just unfortunate that someone like Emily Fields had to try and be a shrink to me… I didn't need a shrink.

"Okay" she nodded and I was glad that the distraction of speaking to her had forced my unshed tears away.

"Have a nice day" I said finally, my mood had lifted a little now... I wasn't sure if pretending I was alright had finally rubbed off or what... but I was fighting hard to not wink at the older woman as I spoke… she was almost impossible not to flirt with. I left her standing at her car and continued in the direction I was heading. I needed to run and sort out all the emotion in my mind… I wasn't being the girl I was in high school ever again. I was Paige McCullers. I was a talented swimmer, I was cool and collected... I was just a little bit of a mess inside.

* * *

**Review? :D Thank Youuu**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to those who read and reviewed the last chapter. It is always nice to know people are reading and enjoying how the fic is developing. I like that you guys appreciate the pace as it is always really important to me not to rush things. Here is Chapter 3... and it didn't take me forever to update this time. Go me!**

* * *

**Emily's POV**

I watched the younger girl walk away before I got back into my car. _I tried. _I thought half-heartedly, I couldn't exactly force her to tell me all her life problems.

I got my cell phone out and sent a quick text to Ben 'Lunch?' it said. I felt a little guilty for hardly having anytime for my boyfriend recently despite the fact we lived together so meeting him for his lunch hour may make up for it. I didn't get a reply straight away so I decided to start driving in the general direction of his office. It was a good few miles from here anyway.

As I hit the highway I heard my cell and glanced at it quickly seeing Ben's reply. 'Can't babe I'm swamped!' was all it read. _Well I tried. _I thought again as I decided there was no point me driving all the way across town now. I left the highway at a familiar exit and found a café I'd been to a few times with Hanna before. I thought about calling my blond friend… but I knew she was constantly busy at work and would be unlikely to be able to come and meet me. I ordered my usual large coffee, having a mini heart attack when I saw the amount of change I received from my 10 dollars.

It was a nice day so I settled myself into one of the chairs outside. I knew I was lucky to have the job I did, despite the ridiculously early mornings the hours weren't too bad. Especially at the start of the season before the work piled up Coach Dawson let me and the other Coaches be flexible with our hours. I'd have to return this afternoon but for now I had a few hours to myself… something I enjoyed as I hadn't quite fallen back into the routine of living with someone again.

I found my cell phone again and this time punched in the number my fingers knew by themselves. After a few rings my mother's voice greeted me.

"Hello Fields residence" She greeted, it always made me laugh how she answered the phone.

"Hey mom it's me" I said with a smile, today was her day off work so I knew she would probably be at home.

"Em! Finally you call your poor mother back" Her tone was light-hearted but I could sense the fact she was semi-serious.

"I'm sorry" I replied with a little laugh. "How are you? How's dad?"

"He's fine, he called me this morning and told me he managed to move his leave forward so he can come to Rachel's wedding which is great" I wasn't surprised, my dad was pretty much as high in the ranks as you could get now, he could pretty much arrange whatever he liked.

"That's great" I wasn't surprised that she hadn't answered the question about how she was, obviously a wedding was more important, even if it was the wedding of my dad's niece that we never saw.

"So with you and Ben here too it will be nice to have the whole family together" She was so enthusiastic and it made me cringe a little, although I loved how much my parents got on with Ben sometimes they seemed to idolise him and it made it hard for me to get them on my side at times.

"Yeah it'll be nice" because it would be nice to see my mom and dad together for once. "But I might only be able to get a couple days off work so I won't be able to stay for ages mom" I let her know now before she got her hopes up.

"But Ben told me you could stay the week, I think he's booked a golf trip in with your father" I rolled my eyes; this was exactly what I told him I couldn't stand.

"We'll see mom, I'll speak to Coach Dawson"

"That woman adores you Emily, I'm sure she could pull a few strings"

I laughed a little "Yeah but I'm taking this seriously mom… this is my job now, if I want to progress I need to be committed" It was like explaining it to someone who didn't understand English.

My relationship with my mom had changed recently. She had always been supportive of my swimming, probably more than anyone and I think that was half because it's what I had always done and half because she knew how happy it had made me. Ever since my accident though, since I could no longer swim her hopes and dreams for me had seemed to shift suddenly. All of a sudden I knew that all she wanted was for me to settle down and start a family with Ben, and she saw what I was doing back at Stanford as just one more step of accepting I couldn't swim anymore before I started my real adult life. I wasn't quite in the same place as my mom. I had dreams still… I just wasn't sure I knew what they were, but I was pretty sure my mother didn't have the answer.

We spoke for a long time, long enough for me to realise I had forgotten all about the coffee I had ordered and it was now stone cold. _What a waste._

I ended the call after we had said our goodbyes and checked my watch; I still had time left before I needed to be back. I checked in my car and found the spare workout kit I kept in the trunk. I liked to keep fit even though I was no longer swimming and had taken to doing sports that were kinder to my shoulder. As I member of staff at Stanford I got access to the school's sports centre but after one try last week I realised it was not the place for me to relax, too many familiar students and people I knew from my time as a student myself. I spent half my time chatting and the other half avoiding people I didn't want to chat to. I'd found a sports centre across town a little with a reasonable membership price… it was now my go to place for some alone time.

* * *

**Paige's POV**

It had been 3 days since I had left a voice mail for my dad and I still hadn't got a reply. I tried to push the thought out of my mind though and concentrate on what I knew was important. Practice was getting more intense these last few days and Coach Dawson was breathing down my neck again about staying focused and keeping my times up… but my head was still betraying me with these shitty thoughts. _Forget it Paige, he obviously forgot about you. _

"Brooke do you want breakfast I'm making eggs" I knocked on my roommate's bedroom door and didn't get a response. I tried Shana's door and heard a muffled 'go away' and took that as her idea of no. I wasn't normally ready this early but I couldn't seem to sleep last night and I wanted a distraction with a good breakfast. I loved the apartment the 3 of us shared; it was nicer than living in dorms as it felt more like our own little place and more like we were in the real world. It wasn't anything amazing, 3 small bedrooms and a bathroom with an open plan kitchen and living area… but it was nice to live with my two best friends.

I shouted Brooke again and assumed she must still be asleep; I turned the handle of her door and pushed it open to wake her up.

"Oh my god" I closed the door quickly and span round, almost falling over my own feet as I tried to rid my brain of the image I had just seen.

I heard swearing and movements from inside the room and I finally let out a little laugh at the awkward situation.

"I am SO sorry… I had no idea Sean was here" I shouted through the closed door, no wonder she couldn't hear me shouting her.

A few moments later and a dazed looking Sean and Brooke appeared around the side of her door with guilty expressions on their faces. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ever heard of knocking Paige" Brooke's eyes were open wide but I could tell there was no malice in her voice.

"Ever heard of locking your door" I replied in the same tone.

"I'm so sorry you had to see…" Sean began to mumble and I had to laugh again, I was surprised he even had having sex in him he was so sweet and innocent.

"It fine" I shrugged casually. "Does anyone want breakfast… I mean I'm guessing you've both worked up an appetite" I teased and Brooke grabbed a cushion from the couch and threw it my way.

"That would be great" Sean nodded politely and I got to work making some food.

We had just finished eating when Shana emerged from her bedroom looking half asleep still. "What was with all the noise?" She asked, sitting down and taking a piece of toast off my plate and chewing on it loudly.

"Nothing" Brooke said quickly, giving me a warning glare.

"Nothing" I repeated with a smirk. Shana looked like she cared for a few more seconds and then got over it as she spotted the coffee and poured herself a mug.

"Oh Sean by the way… You have a really nice butt" I teased as I watched the blond boys cheeks turn red and Brooke fight the laugh I could tell she was holding back.

Shana sat oblivious and drank her coffee. It was clear where her priorities lay.

Half an hour later and Sean had left, most probably to go back to bed until it was time for normal people to wake up, and we were getting ready to leave for practice.

I heard my phone ringing from my room and ran to pick it up, my stomach dropped a little when I saw the word 'Dad' on the screen. _Great, call me back just before practice. _I was tempted to ignore him but the needy side of my personality, which I always convinced myself wasn't that big, couldn't ignore it.

"Hi" I answered the call flatly.

"Paige, it's your dad" he elaborated unnecessarily.

"I know I do have caller ID dad" I explained rolling my eyes.

"How you doing kid?" He spoke casually. I had a lump in my throat and it annoyed me.

"Did you get my message?" I asked instead.

"yeah" He replied like he wasn't calling me back 3 days later. "I've been busy, I've had some real problems at work." He explained.

"Right" I said, he was doing what he always did and making it about him. I would have cared about his problems if I didn't know what he was like, how he always acted.

_I really needed you that day though, I really need to talk to my dad about my problems and you weren't there for me… _I could have said the words but I didn't. He always made me choke up.

"How's school?" He asked his standard questions again.

"Good" I answered in my own standard way.

"Great" he replied. Emotionless stalemate… our favourite.

"And your swimming… you still a champ?" he tried to lighten the tone.

"I'm doing fine" I replied, even though for the past few days my times had sucked.

"That's good" This was getting tedious. Maybe I should just come out and tell him I was upset with him.

Shana's head pocked around my door and she looked at me curiously for a moment before she mouthed that we would be late for practice. I mouthed back at her that I would catch up with them and heard them leave the apartment.

"Look Paige, I need to tell you something" he interrupted what I was building up to say.

"Yeah?" this wasn't going to be good.

"I lost my job" his voice was flat and I nodded. This was like dejavu from when I was 14, he came home and told me he was fired. Only later did I find out he was fired for being drunk on the job.

"Why?"

I heard him take a deep breath and mumble something about that not being important.

"Are you drinking again?" I asked directly.

He was silent and I heard him exhale in a long breath. "Look I've been stressed at work and Gina and I have been…"

"I don't care dad" I interrupted him, I didn't want to hear his excuses. "You promised me you wouldn't, the day we scattered mom's ashes you said to me you would never drink again" I reminded him, my eyes filling with water at the memory. I knew it was a cheap shot for me to remind him of that day but I didn't care right now.

"Paige… you don't understand what it's been like for me" He said in that horrible patronising tone he had.

"No, I don't" I said bitterly. _And you don't understand what it's been like for me._

The line was silent for a while before he continued. "Your fees are covered but I don't know how much I'm going to be able to give you for an allowance… not without a job and…"

"Whiskey's quite expensive these days" I finished for him. It wasn't the fact that I was going to lose my allowance from him. I always knew I was lucky to have parents that helped me out, I knew I would have to get a job now and that was fine. I wasn't the only girl on the team that would be juggling school work, swimming and a job. I would manage. It was just the memory of how he had ripped our family apart with drinking the first time and he was doing it all over again.

I pressed the end button on the call angrily, not bothering to give him a second to finish whatever it was he would try to say to me. I didn't want him to have a moment to convince me to feel sorry for him.. He was still as selfish as he always was.

I checked my watch and swore to myself when I noticed how late I was for practice. Brilliant. My good mood from this morning had faded completely as I left the apartment.

I ran the rest of the way and hurriedly got changed into my swimsuit, shoving my clothes into my locker with a little bit too much force as I felt them shake, I caught my knuckles on the edge of the door as I pulled back and swore again as the pain jolted through my hand. Today was not my day.

I was expecting the lecture about being punctual from Coach Dawson but it still pissed me off when she began. I apologised but she still rang in my ear.

I didn't argue anymore though and let her finish as I slipped in the pool with the other girls.

My times were bad, I was aware of that. My head wasn't here and it frustrated me which only made my actions worse.

"McCullers" Coach Dawson's voice called me over after a few minutes.

"Yeah?" my tone came out more defensive than I intended.

"You're sloppy... I don't need sloppy swimmers on my team"

I knew the tactic she was taking with me; insult me in hopes my competitive nature would take over.

"Yet I'm still faster than the majority of the girls here" I mumbled under my breath. I was being cocky and arrogant I was aware, but I hated being this shitty version of myself all because of some man who called himself my father.

The fierce older woman in front of me took a deep breath and shook her head. I knew she wasn't my biggest fan already, she liked people who didn't talk back to her and for some reason I could never seem to help myself.

"Go and dry off and get changed" she wrote something on her clipboard and didn't look directly at me.

"But coach we still have half an hour of practice left?" I asked bemused.

"You can sit this one out McCullers" she spoke in the firm way she had.

"But coach..." I began to protest.

"Maybe tomorrow you can come back with a better attitude" and with that she walked away and left me feeling like an idiot. I got out the pool and began to walk off angrily when Shana spoke my name.

"What was that about?" She spoke from the edge of the pool.

"Nothing" I threw her way.

"Paige seriously, what is up with you?"

"Let it drop Shana... Please" was all I said before I made my way back to the locker room. I didn't want to talk to her about it right now.

* * *

**Emily's POV**

There was definitely something off with Paige when she walked into practice late. I had seen the girl enough in the past few weeks that I knew that her usual confident walk was gone.

When Coach Dawson pulled her out of the pool and sent her back to the locker room I watched the way she sulked off almost angrily sharing a swift exchange with Shana. _Maybe they were fighting._

"Fields, I need you to talk with McCullers" Coach Dawson was saying. "We both know what happens when people with her talent lose focus, I reckon she'll listen to you"

"Coach... I'm not sure..." I really wasn't sure if I even knew where to begin with Paige... In all honesty she intimidated me a little, but I wasn't about to admit that to her.

"I think she likes you... At least she's not appeared to actively dislike you... Which is as good as it gets for her" She explained, and I couldn't help but notice how Paige's personality reminded me a little of Coach Dawson's.

"Okay" I agreed, still not really sure what I was going to say.

I left a few minutes until I knew the younger swimmer would have showered and changed and I made my way into the locker room.

She was dressed back into her clothes now and stood at her locker sorting through her things.

"Paige, can I talk to you for a minute" I began.

"Coach Fields" she said without looking at me, not answering my question. "So Dawson sent you to tell me how crappy I'm doing?"

"No" I answered awkwardly, noticing how my palms were sweating a little, god there was something about this girl that made me lose my line of thought. It was harder to be professional with her than the other girls, it was harder to forget I wasn't much older than them with the way Paige totally disregarded any sense of superiority I had.

"So she sent you to psychoanalyse me?" She looked like she found this amusing.

"She didn't send me" I lied, hoping she would take better to this if she thought Coach Dawson wasn't involved. "I'm just concerned about you and the way you've been at practice the last few days" I would aim to talk to her like a friend instead of the coach I was trying to be. She seemed to have a problem with authority.

"Look, I get you're only trying to do your job but I'm fine honestly. I've just been off my game a bit recently and tomorrow I'll make sure I'm focused... I'll even be early for practice if that'll make you happy" she seemed happy with her own explanation as she gave me a side smile.

"Why have you been 'off your game'?" I repeated her word choice and earned a small smile from her again.

"Just things" she shrugged her shoulders casually. She was so frustrating.

"Like?"

She shrugged her shoulder again and didn't give me an answer.

"If it's school work we can sort.."

"It's not school work" she interrupted me with an exhale of breath.

"Paige" I said her name, hoping to make her listen to what I had to say more. "Look for what it's worth... I know what it's like to be where you are. I've been you. 5 years ago I was the best swimmer on my team and I had all the pressure and all the hopes and dreams..."

"You think I'm the best swimmer on the team?" she interrupted with a mocking eye brow raise.

I gave her a bemused look. "You know you are... And that's part of the problem" I couldn't help but smile a little at her cockiness.

"Well that's a compliment coming from the young swimmer of the year 2008 " she was smiling that teasing smile at me again.

I raised my own eyebrow in question of how she knew that and she just laughed casually.

"I like to google" she explained.

I thought of what else she probably knew about me now, about my accident and the fact I'd been so close to making it.

"I see" I let a small laugh out at the ridiculous thought of someone 'googling' me.

"So what's going on with you isn't something we need to worry about?" I needed to get back onto the track of my reason for talking to this girl.

"No Ma'am" she shook her head.

"'Ma'am' oh my god... I'm finally turning into my mother" I laughed lightly and was happy when I saw Paige laugh too... For once not sarcastically.

"I appreciate the concern... But I'm fine... I promise" she smiled at me again and I couldn't help but notice the way she dipped her head ever so slightly as she spoke.

"Ok… but you can come to me if you need anything okay… I won't even tell Coach Dawson if that's what's worrying you" I figured showing her I was on her side was the best way to go.

She just smiled at my words. It was one of those smiles I found it almost impossible to describe, she wasn't teasing me but there was something behind her eyes I didn't quite know what to make of. I could feel my palms sweating again and it was such an unfamiliar situation for me it made me want to look away. _What was wrong with me?_

"I just might" she said after a few seconds and it took me a moment to remember the words I had just said to her.

With that I nodded and turned around and left the young swimmer standing by her locker.

* * *

**Thank you for reading... Review? Please? you know you want to :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter.  
**

**I hope you enjoy Chapter 4:**

* * *

**Paige's POV**

"Paige come on, don't be boring" Shana pulled my laptop across the table away from my reach and put her head in the space in front of me. She was showing all her teeth in a big smile in an attempt to get me to change my mind about the party tonight… her creepy smile wasn't helping.

"I'm not being boring… I need to apply for jobs! I currently have $60 in my bank account for the foreseeable future and I don't really fancy living off tinned food for the rest of the semester." I explained again, pulling my laptop back across the table as I pushed her annoying face out of my way.

I had told her about what had happed with my dad in as little words as were necessary, she really didn't take 'no' for an answer…. And she was my best friend, if I couldn't tell my best friend about my problems I had serious issues. I think she was just finally happy to know a little of what my mood was about.

"I get that… _but _I protest" She put her hands on her hips.

"It's not something you get to protest" I carried on scrolling on the job vacancy website I was on.

"At least listen to my reasons" She tried again, _I may as well entertain her _I thought with a little laugh.

"Okay, on what grounds do you 'protest' ?" She was ridiculous.

"Okay three things…" She cleared her throat. "Firstly, I've seen you apply to about fifteen jobs already so by default you deserve a break" She wasn't incorrect. "Secondly, you're getting to the real shitty section of the website now and as you best friend I feel it's my duty to stop you applying for..." she squinted to read the screen. "Conveyor belt goods handler" she laughed as she read it and I couldn't help but join in.

"And the third reason?"

"And Lara Daniels will be there tonight and It would be a lot easier if you, as her lab partner, were there to introduce us so I can get my freak on with her" she flashed me a grin and I rolled my eyes.

"The famous womaniser Shana Anderson needs little old me to pick up women?" I teased her.

"Please" she gave me a comical pout. "I'm merely suggesting it would increase my chances if you were there" I had to laugh at her.

"And it will be really boring if you don't come" She nudged me in the rips playfully. "Come on!" she seemed happy that I was smiling now and she continued her nudging. "I would say I'd let you have Lara for yourself but you already told me she's not your type so that fine piece of ass is all mine" she had me laughing now and I finally put my hands up in surrender.

"Fine! I'll come… but if I'm broke next week I'm borrowing your credit card" I smiled at how proud Shana looked at herself as she ran triumphantly to Brooke's room.

"Told you I could convince her!" She said to my other friend. I heard Brooke shout something back before her head came poking around her bedroom door her hair twisted up in rollers, _Straight girls went to so much effort_.

"How come you didn't say yes when I asked?" she shook her head and I laughed.

""Shana formally protested" I laughed as Shana continued to look proud of her self. "I didn't really have a choice."

The job hunting could continue tomorrow.

* * *

"I feel like someone is drilling a hole into my skull" Shana was lay on her back on the couch with her hands covering her eyes.

"5 shots of tequila in a row will do that do you" I teased her as I brought her the hangover cure smoothie I had just made her.

She peeked through her hands to look at what I was presenting her with. "Paige, you must be fucking kidding me… that looks like what I puked up last night"

I laughed and shoved the drink in her hand anyway. "Trust me… its miracle juice" It was a recipe I swore by and I knew it didn't taste as bad as it looked.

"I'm never drinking alcohol again" Shana started to drink and pulled a face but I watched as she finished the contents of the glass.

"Good girl" I teased as I took the glass out of her hands.

"I hate how chirpy you are this morning"

"I didn't drink my bodyweight in alcohol last night… sort of helped me feel okay this morning" I threw back at her and she went back to putting her hands over her eyes.

"And I checked my emails before and I got an interview for that sports centre place" I explained. It wasn't anything special, just a receptionist position… but it was a job and that's all I needed right now.

"That was quick" She looked at me again.

"What can I say… I have a very impressive résumé" she smiled at that and I knew that was her version of 'well done'.

I checked my watch. "Right, get your ass moving we have to meet Brooke in five and get to practice before Coach Dawson hates me more than she already does" Brooke had stayed at Sean's place last night and I had to bring a very drunk Shana home on my own.

"Urgh I hate my life" Shana said over dramatically and I walked over to her and pulled her by her arms so she was sitting up.

"Get your game face on Andy… you're not going to impress Lara Daniels with this attitude" I teased.

"Don't remind me about Lara" She cringed and I had to laugh. Shana was drunk way before we found Lara at the party and their introduction was probably not as smooth as Shana had hoped… there had been slurring and some strangely worded compliments.

"It was hilarious I'm sorry" I couldn't help but laugh whenever Shana's attempts at being charming failed.

"I hate you" but she was laughing herself now.

"You love me" I pulled her by her arms again so she was stood up.

"Right come on… practice" I knew that I had to make sure I wasn't late today. Coach Dawson's tactic of throwing me out had worked a little… it had shocked me into realising I needed to get my head back into the pool. I also knew that part of me wanted to be early so Emily Fields felt like her talk with me had helped… I knew that was a ridiculous thought for me to have, but there was something about that woman I found fascinating and pleasing her was something I couldn't help but want to do.

* * *

We were stood on the poolside waiting to listen to whatever it was Coach Dawson would be drilling us on today and Shana was quiet for once, her face pale and her eyes bloodshot; I was glad I wasn't her right now. For the first time in a few days I felt positive, I had my interview for the job and I had finally stopped thinking about the waste of space which was my father.

I looked up when Coach starting speaking and couldn't help but notice the absence of Emily. It was a strange sense of disappointment I got when I thought she wouldn't be here today and I laughed at myself for feeling that way. _Being able to stare at Emily Fields definitely made listening to Coach Dawson's droning voice more enjoyable though_ I justified to myself.

Just as the older woman had finished her morning pep talk the doors to our right opened and the young assistant coach walked in looking slightly flustered, Coach Dawson didn't seem surprised by her late arrival so I could only guess she was aware of whatever it was that made Emily late.

The rest of the other swimmers dispersed and began to do their normal morning stretch routine, I couldn't help but make a bee line for where Emily was stood pulling her hair up into a ponytail.

"You'll be happy to know I was 10 minutes early for practice this morning" I said with a smile as she seemed to notice I had walked up to her. She smiled a little at my words and I enjoyed seeing the way her face changed when she did.

"I'm happy to hear that" she finished with her hair and returned her arms to her sides. I considered saying something snarky about her being late but I decided against it for some reason. I wasn't in a very sarcastic mood this morning.

"I'm glad" I settled for, giving her a smile I wasn't expecting to have on my face… this woman just made me smile and it was something I couldn't decide if I liked or not. I walked to join the rest of the girls in their stretching before I ended up spending all of practice smiling at the older woman like some sort of idiot.

* * *

**Emily's POV**

I wasn't as late to morning practice as I thought I was going to be, I'd managed to get someone out to fix my car when it wouldn't start quicker than I had expected despite Ben's protests that he could have sorted it. We both knew he liked to pretend he was better at that sort of thing than he actually was, if I let him mess with my car he would probably break it more than fix it. He had this crazy obsession with doing everything a 'proper' man should, most of the time I let him do what he wanted but I actually wanted to make it to work this morning.

I watched Paige walk away from me with a slightly satisfied smile on my face, maybe it had nothing at all to do with what I'd spoken to her about… but I liked to think she seemed in a better mood today and that was nice to see as her coach. This job had its perks and I finally felt like I was finding my feet. And the way Paige smiled was good to see too.

* * *

As I parked my car in the parking lot of the apartment which was now my home I rubbed my eyes and laughed at the fact I wasn't used to these long days any more. It had been a busy week and Coach Dawson had me working later than normal the last few days as we had a lot of paper work to complete about each girls progress so far this year and she needed my help to develop individual training plans. It was something I knew quite a lot about being on the receiving end of these vigorous training schedules for the last few years, but it was still hard work.

I entered the apartment and found Ben in his usual position on the couch, he was a creature of habit and I saw the usual bottle of beer he had after a particularly stressful day on the coffee table. He turned around from the baseball game that was on the large plasma screen and gave me a smile.

"Hey babe" he greeted.

"Hey" I bent down and gave him a quick kiss.

"You eaten?" I asked as I realised how hungry I was.

"No I was thinking we could order takeout?" He was looking back at the game now.

"We've had takeout the last 3 nights… do you want me to get fat?" I teased as I rummaged in the cupboards looking what we had in.

"The amount you work out I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon"

"I'm making us something… with vegetables" I heard him moan at this but I gathered my ingredients anyway.

After a while I passed him the plate of food I had cooked and settled next to him on the couch with my own plate.

"Can we please watch something other than baseball reruns?" it was my turn to protest. I understood he liked sports… but when it was a game he had already watched I had to put my foot down.

"I am not watching that next top model crap again" I had to laugh at that as he took a bite of his food but passed me the control anyway for me to pick something else. I never liked eating my dinner in front of the TV but Ben's apartment, _our apartment, _didn't have a proper dining table so it was the couch or the uncomfortable breakfast bar.

I took the plates after we had finished and began to wash up. I saw the pile of mail on the kitchen counter and decided to look through the papers and see if any of the letters I had asked my mom to redirect to me had reached me yet. I found a few boring bank statements and phone bills with my name on. A fancy looking letter head on a piece of paper that was already out of its envelope caught my eye and I glanced at it to see it was addressed to Ben. I placed it back down but the words on the page caught my attention and I read the first few lines curiously. I read the whole letter slowly this time and picked it up and walked over to where Ben was.

"Ben… why have you got a job acceptance letter from a firm in Ohio?" I gave him a curious look and he looked at the letter in my hand.

"Oh that" He said casually. "I was just seeing what was out there, thought I'd apply and see my options"

"In Ohio?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Yeah, the opportunities out there are pretty good, I was just thinking about the future and things"

"You want to move back to Ohio?" He had never indicated this to me before… I'd always thought he was happy living here in California. He was originally from there and I knew his parents still lived in the same small town which he had grown up in, as did his two brothers… but I never knew he was thinking about living there again sometime.

"Well not right now" He picked his beer up and took another swig. "But I've always known I'd want to move home eventually, why are you looking at me like that" He was smiling at me slightly.

"I just… I didn't know"

"Well when we start a family I've always imagined bringing my kids up where they could play with their cousins and grandparents… not stuck in an apartment in the city"

Here he was talking about starting a family again; I felt the panic rise up inside of me… I felt like I was still too young to be having this conversation.

"But what about our life here? Our friends… jobs?" I didn't know why I was panicking like this so much… it wasn't like he had bought us a plane ticket or anything… it was just an idea… for our future together.

"They have jobs in Ohio Emily" He said and I rolled my eyes at his tone.

"I know that" It was frustrated how casual he was being… he was talking about completely relocating, I would have to leave the life I was beginning to love again and the job that was finally making me feel worthwhile again.

"Well why do you still have that look on your face?"

"Because I love my job _here" _I explained.

"It's just a job Em"

"You don't get it" I mumbled quietly.

"No I don't… why you freaking out so much? Look I'm not saying that I want to move tomorrow… all I'm saying is that sometime in the future… moving back to Ohio is my plan." He continued when I didn't say anything. "You're a part of that plan too Em… if that's what's worrying you"

"No" I breathed out slowly. I almost felt ridiculous being annoyed with him about this, he only wanted what he thought would be best… but I couldn't escape the feeling that the emphasis was on _his _plan… _his _life. I loved him, but sometimes I felt like he didn't get what made me _me _and sometimes it was frustrating.

"No… I'm just shocked" I said, I didn't know if I really wanted to have an argument with him.

"Okay" he nodded and believed me. "So you're not pissed?" he asked.

This didn't really have anything to do with me being pissed at him, it wasn't like that. "No" I said with a small smile. He seemed happy at that and turned around to continue watching the plasma screen.

I watched the side of his head for a minute and chewed at the inside of my cheek. He was a good guy I knew he was, he treated me well and my family loved him… I knew I was lucky to have him but it didn't mean I never needed space from the way I sometimes felt like he was beginning to absorb every aspect of my life. I checked my watch and decided I still had enough time to make the dance class I had been to a few times before.

"I think I'm going to head down to the sport centre" I explained to him as I headed towards the bedroom to get changed, it would save time getting ready here before I left.

"Really?" I heard him laugh from the couch. "You're making me look bad" I laughed at that. It was true he worked out a lot less than he used to when we first met but there was no way he looked bad, he was still in better shape than the majority of guys I knew. I found my desired workout clothes and pulled the clothes I was already wearing off and pulled the other clothes on.

"You're working out in that?" He said the words with a small smile but I could tell he was half serious.

"I always wear this" I answered as I put a few items into a bag. "They're comfortable" I explained. I didn't see what the big deal was… there were girls who worked out in shorts that almost showed their crotch. I was almost dressed like a nun compared to them.

"Every guy in that place will be staring at my girlfriend's booty… brilliant" He laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up" I laughed at his version of jealousy. "I'm going" I gave him a small smile and he waved goodbye at me as I made my way out of the apartment.

* * *

**Paige's POV**

It was my fourth shift at the sport centre and I was happy that I had managed to get the job so easily. The guy who had interviewed me was the owners son and I think it helped my application that he was a huge swimming fan… and that I decided to wear a low cut top that day. The place had a relaxed feeling to it that I found myself enjoying; I even managed to take advantage of the quiet periods to scroll through the notes for my Biology test on my iPad. I was told on busy days there would be two of us on the information desk but so far I had only worked alone.

The evening shifts were my favourite as few people demanded my attention; people rarely came to sign up for membership or ask questions I had answered a hundred times after 8pm. All I had to do was answer the phone when it rang and have people sign a form if they were attending a class, something to do with health and safety regulations I presumed. It was an easy job, I got paid to sit and study and watch the hilarious range of people who walked through the doors.

"Hey Paige" the blonde haired girl greeted me as she reached the desk. "You got a pen I can borrow for a minute?" She smiled at me as she asked. Her name was Lexie and she was a personal trainer at the gym. I nodded and reached for the large pot of pens next to the phone.

"Take your pick" she took one of the black ones and scribbled something onto the small piece of paper she was holding.

"So… you enjoying the new job?" She smiled again when she spoke to me running a hand through her short blonde hair. Her muscles on her arms were bigger than a girls normally were and I could tell she worked out a _lot. _She had a few tattoos on her arm and a symbol of some sort on her wrist.

"It has its perks" I smiled. "I get paid to sit on my butt" she laughed at that.

"You're a swimmer right?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah that's right"

"You can tell… swimmers always have great bodies"

I smiled slightly at her compliment, pretty sure now that she was flirting with me. I'd noticed it the last few times she's spoken to me too.

"Thanks" I said, hoping it didn't sound dorky. It wasn't that I was overtly attracted to her, it was more the fact that she was a little older than me, slightly intimidating and for some reason made me want to impress her.

"Lexie" It was one of the male instructors shouting the girls name, she turned around and he told her he needed her help with a customer. She turned back to smile at me one last time before she walked away.

"Hey you forgot your paper" I shouted after her as I saw the note she had written left on the counter and she glanced back at me.

"It's for you" She said simply before she walked back through the doors to the gym.

I looked down at the piece of paper and looked at what it contained. There was a phone number followed by the words, 'call me'. I had to laugh. I'd never gotten a girls number so easily before… maybe this baggy t-shirt uniform was working for me.

I shoved the piece of paper into the pocket of my jeans, maybe I'd send her a text one time; I hated the pressure of calling someone. I entered the password into my iPad that was concealed slightly from view of customers by the stack of membership files in front of me and clicked back on the game I was playing before.

I heard the outside doors open but didn't bother to look up from the game of candy crush I was half way through; I probably wouldn't be needed anyway.

"Paige?" The voice was familiar as I looked up and was met with the site of Emily Fields walking across the entrance foyer in her work out clothes. I tried not to linger too long taking in her outfit choice but it was hard to ignore the fact she was wearing tight running leggings and a loose off the shoulder top that showed her stomach.

"Coach Fields" I greeted her, trying to keep the excited surprise out of my voice and keep my eyes from wandering to her _perfectly _toned stomach. _This woman was ridiculous. _

"I didn't know you worked here?" She seemed just as surprised to see me here as I was to see her.

"Since Monday" I explained as she nodded with a little smile. "I needed the extra money" I explained, even though she hadn't asked.

She didn't say anything else so I began talking again. "What brings you here, surely as a member of staff you get free access to the college sport centre?" I was trying _really _hard to keep my eyes on her face.

She laughed a little. "I like how much quieter it is here, sort of relaxing" She explained, I had to agree with her. "And the classes are good" she was fiddling with the strap of her over the shoulder bag.

"You going to a class tonight?" I asked, trying to think what was on the schedule for tonight. I knew there was kickboxing that I had wanted to go to myself and a few other classes that were on every week.

"The dance class" She seemed almost a little embarrassed by her choice.

I reached for the signup form where a few people had already written their names and email address _so they could get sent shitty promotion emails I was sure. _

I pushed it across the desk towards her and smiled when she took the pen Lexie had used to write me her number. "So you dance?" I asked. I knew this class wasn't for beginners. It was half intense exercise and half learning and perfecting a different routine each week.

"A little" She wrote her name in neat handwriting and her email next to it. "Just for fun really" She pushed the sheet back to me and smiled again, it almost seemed like a slightly nervous smile and I couldn't understand why.

The thought of Emily fields dancing in the outfit she was wearing made a slight grin spread on my face, I suddenly realised it was a great shame I wasn't permitted to leave the welcome desk.

She ran her hand through her hair for a brief moment before I remembered I had to ask for her membership card.

"Oh I need to swipe your membership card" she fumbled in her bag and pulled out the orange card. I swiped it and saw the woman's details come up on the screen accompanied with a picture of her face. I saw loads of these pictures every day and no one ever looked good on them… Emily Fields was the exception to this.

"Nice picture" I found myself saying as I handed her the card back. I was doing it again, the thing where I found myself wanting to flirt with her. I knew I shouldn't be doing that though, she was my coach… a member of staff and she was straight. But she had an effect of me where I couldn't help myself.

She met my eyes for the briefest of moments and looked down quickly, almost like I had made her shy. It was almost amusing.

"Thanks" she said quickly shoving the card away.

"Enjoy your class" I said with a smile.

"I will" she replied. "See you Paige" she said my name with a nod before she walked through the doors to the stairs that led up to the studios.

* * *

**Emily's POV**

I took the stairs up to the top floor and had to suppress the strange smile I had on my face. Paige McCullers had a strange effect on me, I almost felt like a teenager again in her presence and I couldn't put my finger on what it was about the girl that made me feel that way. She reminded me a little of myself when I was her age… except I knew I was definitely not quite as cocky and charismatic as she was. But I noticed that same sheer determination and confidence in her own ability that I used to have.

Part of me couldn't help but feel that the way she smiled at me and looked at me reminded me of the way guys would when they flirted with me… yet so different at the same time. I knew it was ridiculous and inappropriate to even be thinking this but I couldn't shake the feeling that she was flirting with me. I knew she was gay but she was dating Shana I was sure of that by the way the two girls were together. I shook my head to rid the thoughts… why was I even thinking about this?

Her smile was a mixture of teasing and intriguing and it reminded me of Alison. I felt my heart beat in that slightly uneven way it did when I thought about my old friend. Paige couldn't remind me of Alison because that would just open too many old wounds I had tried to bury a long time ago.

Alison was dead. Alison had been gone for 10 years. That thought sent another wave of uneasiness through my body. _Time moved fast. _Everything that had happened with Alison and I was a distant memory, it was something that had happened to the unconfident young Emily Fields who grew too close to her best friend. The memory of the feelings I'd had for Alison were clouded by the fact I'd never really coped with the loss of my best friend and I was aware of that. Alison was Alison, and all that stuff belonged in the past.

I rarely thought of Alison these days for good reason, it would always make me feel strange and weirdly homesick for a feeling I had lost so long ago.

I reached the top of the stairs and found the room the dance class was held in, I pushed open the door and found I was just in time for the beginning of the class. There were only 6 or 7 others here, the majority who I recognised. I shoved my bag off my shoulder and found my place at the back of the room.

I needed to relax and stop thinking for once… stop thinking about my future with Ben, stop thinking about moving to Ohio, stop thinking about my future as a swimming Coach… stop thinking about things that were in the past and girls with annoyingly confusing smiles.

I just needed to dance.

* * *

**Please let me know your thoughts... pretty please? :D **

**Thank you for reading.**

**Just a quick note about the reviews for last chapter: ****To the guests and everyone else who reviewed thank you all for your comments, and to Marmoreck, I'm really glad you are enjoying this story and I love to hear you are a fan of begin again (Begin again is like my baby, I love it and I am always shocked and thrilled with how well it has been received and because of that I do promise one day I will give that story the proper ending it deserves... but I don't know if I am ready to write it just yet.) Your support is appreciated though. So Thank you. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank You to everyone who read and (especially) those who reviewed chapter 4. (Reviews make me smile).**

**To Jess Angell and the guest who reviewed - I love writing flustered/nervous Emily too so look forward to a lot more :)**

**and sexy dancing scene... we'll see in the future (you read my mind) **

**Any way - Chapter 5. Enjoy**

* * *

**Paige's POV**

I checked the time on the screen in front of me again, knowing it wouldn't be long until the time Emily Fields normally came to Friday night dance classes. It had become some sort of ritual the last few weeks and I was almost becoming reliant on the happy feeling I got from seeing her to get me through my long shift. I was ridiculous.

Like clockwork at 5 minutes to the hour she walked through the door dressed in the same sort of clothes she always wore. Today her t-shirt was pale blue and I made a note that it looked good with her skin tone.

"Good evening" I smiled as she approached the desk to write her name down. I spent quite a bit of time with this woman, at practice she was always there and she often spoke to me and the rest of the girls about our technique in the pool but there was still some sort of electric tension in the air whenever I spoke to her alone… _but maybe it's all in your head_ I reminded myself.

"Is it?" she reached for the pen and began writing her name. I quirked an eyebrow at her sarcastic choice of reply. She finished writing and looked up. "Sorry" she began, catching my expression as she smiled bashfully. "My car broke down again… I had to get the bus here" she divulged the information. I couldn't help but smile at it; it had only been in the last few days that she had said anything other than things about swimming or small talk with me… I couldn't help but enjoy the little snippets into her life she had started giving me every now and again.

"Public transport does suck" I said, aware how dorky it sounded. "I could take a look at your car for you if you want… I'm actually quite good with cars" I smiled at her when she looked shocked.

"You know about cars?" She seemed amused and intrigued by that.

"Basic stuff… my uncle was a mechanic; I was always obsessed with fixing things as a kid" I almost regretting saying it to her for a moment, offering to work on her car was probably not my smoothest move to date, but her smile now was soft and I enjoyed the way it looked on her face.

She looked at me a moment longer with that same small smile before she looked down and let out a little laugh. "it's fine" she began saying. "My boyfriend's taking it to a mechanic tomorrow" she said quickly. "But thank you for the offer" She smiled again. I hated how hearing her say the words _my boyfriend_ made me feel a little bit disappointed… _it's not like I stood a chance anyway_.

I just smiled at that and took the form she had just filled in and put it back with the others.

"Well…Enjoy your class" I said with a smile, like I always did.

"Thank you" she replied and her own slightly shy smile was back for a second before she walked away.

* * *

**Emily's POV**

"Ben can you please not break my car" I said as I watched him fiddle with something under the hood. I was sure he had no idea what it was he was messing with.

"It's fine babe relax" he wiped his hands on the old jeans he was wearing and I rolled my eyes. It was the weekend so he was off work but I still had morning practice to go to. Instead of him taking me into work and taking my car to be fixed he had insisted he try and do it himself _again._

"Do you even know what you're doing?" I gave him an enquiring look when he pulled out the oil stick and put it back in again.

"How hard can it be?" He put his head back down under the hood and I had to laugh a little. He was hopeless.

I couldn't help but think of Paige McCullers doing the same, her clothes covered in oil as she actually managed to fix the problem. _I bet she would look good in overalls _I caught myself thinking and I felt myself blush a little at the random thought. I shook my head and focused on what was going on in front of me, at this rate I would be late for practice again.

"Ben… please just leave it to the professionals" I smiled at him, hoping to soften him up. "Drive me to work instead?" I asked still smiling.

"Fine" He lifted his hands up in defeat and told me he was running back inside to grab his car keys. I resisted the urge to tell him I knew a girl who could teach him how to fix cars if he wanted to know so badly.

By the time I got to practice I could see most of the girls had made their way to the poolside and I found Coach Dawson looking over notes on a piece of paper that I couldn't read in her messy handwriting.

"Good morning Coach" I still called her Coach despite the fact I was now a member of staff… most other coaches called her by her first name but it felt alien to me… old habits die hard and all that.

"Good morning Emily" She replied happily. She was in a good mood. Either she had heard good news from the sponsors or she'd had a personality transplant. I'm sure I would find out soon enough.

By the way she had the girls doing intense training 5 minutes in… it was clear she hadn't had a personality transplant.

* * *

I watched intensely as the blur of arms and legs moved through the water, holding my thumb above the button of the stopwatch carefully. As soon as her hand met the side of the pool I pressed down instinctively, not quite believing the time I saw on the display.

Her head appeared above the water and I could already see her cocky smile as she breathed heavily. I wrote the time down on the clipboard under the others. It was the fifth one and each time she just kept being faster and faster.

She pulled her goggles off her face as she clung to the poolside, wiping the water off her face as she began to speak.

"Well?" She asked, her breathing still heavy.

"Good" I said simply.

"'Good'?" She laughed now. "Is that all I get 'good'?" She flashed me one of her smiles and I found myself looking down at the clipboard so I didn't have to look at her face. _What was wrong with me?_

"It was very good" I met her eyes now and I could tell my words had pleased her, it was clear she was aware at how freakily fast her times were.

"I know" She said cockily as she began to lift herself out of the pool effortlessly. _How did this girl make everything she did seem so easy? _

I shook my head in slight disbelief at her self-confidence but didn't challenge it. I normally found people like this irritating, I trained with many swimmers who saw themselves as the very best and it made them seem arrogant… Paige didn't seem that way though… and it only made her more intriguing.

"There's always room for improvement though" I found myself saying as she was walking away, a slight smile creeping onto my face.

She turned round and was smiling at me still. "There sure is" I swore she winked at me but I wasn't a hundred percent sure, if she had it was very quick and her expression was normal again quickly.

I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear subconsciously.

"Did you manage to fix your car?" She asked.

"Kind of" I answer with a little laugh.

"That sounds promising" she laughed too as Shana appeared at her side.

"What sounds promising? Your chances of being faster than me… because you're probably right" Shana said nudging the other girl in the rips. "Coach, what are her times? Because she looked like a bullet in that pool" The other girl asked me and I handed her the clipboard with a smile _Paige would love this_.

"Paige… I hate you… why are you so good at everything" Shana began as she looked at the times, and I was right, Paige did look like she was enjoying this.

"Shut up" She said to the other girl with a smile but I caught how much kindness was in it. I remembered then that these two were a couple and I felt myself become embarrassed again, feeling a strange feeling in my gut.

"You're both very talented" I said neutrally. Paige was the faster swimmer but it didn't mean Shana wasn't good; the girl had skills too.

I could see Paige was still grinning at me and I almost felt like I was missing out on some sort of joke, I smiled politely and after a few moments left the two girls to their own company. Three's a crowd after all.

* * *

**Paige's POV**

It was earlier than usual when mark, the manager of the sport centre, came to find me on reception to tell me it was okay for me to go home.

"We've been quiet all night" he said to me as he chewed on his gum… it was an annoying habit. "There's no point you sticking around until we shut, there only a few classes to finish and then we can close up… you can be home at a decent time for once" he winked at me in a friendly way and I laughed.

"Great!" I said, the end of the shift always dragged the most.

"Just remember to log out of the system when you leave" he added, pointing to the computer. I nodded at his instruction.

I watched him leave as I gathered my things, checking the time as I did. _Emily Fields' class should be finished soon_ I couldn't help but think, I laughed at how much of a stalker I was becoming in regards to keeping track of the woman's whereabouts.

I pulled my jacket over my uniform and was logging out of the computer system when a few people made their way through the reception to the doors to the parking lot, there wasn't many people for the classes today and I knew they were all dancers. I walked around the reception desk as Emily appeared from the stairwell.

"Good class?" I greeted her as she made her way across the space.

"It was great" She said, it astounded me how she could still look so effortlessly perfect after such an intense session.

"You finished already?" She asked as she seemed to notice I wasn't behind the desk any more and I was wearing my jacket.

"I got sent home early" I explained as we walked next to each other across the room towards the exit doors. As we reached them I made sure I reached the handle first so I could hold the door open for her. I stepped back as I indicated for her to walk through, she seemed to smile at this before she left the building and I followed.

"Do you need a ride?" She asked once we were in the parking lot, she had her car keys in her hands and was fiddling with the key ring.

"Should I really trust your car?" I teased and she laughed.

"Probably not" she shook her head in a laugh. "But I'm sure you could fix it if we broke down" she added. The way she spoke made me heart skip a little. I didn't know what it was, but something about the way she seemed trusting of me made her ten times more attractive to me.

In that moment I hated the fact that I used my bike to get to and from work. I wanted to say yes for the simple reason that I enjoyed her company and it would be nice to say yes to her offer… but I knew I couldn't leave my bike here otherwise I would regret it when I had to walk all the way here tomorrow to pick it up.

"Thanks… but I already have my wheels" I pointed over my shoulder at the bike that was chained to the railings. She nodded with a small laugh.

"Okay well… 'drive' safe" She said with a tone that for once made her seem older than me… I quite enjoyed it.

"I will" I nodded as she began walking backwards towards where her car was parked.

"Good night Paige"

"Good night Coach Fields" I smiled at her before I turned around and headed for my bike.

When I reached the bike I dug into my pocket and found the key that would unlock the chain around the wheel. Before I could unlock the padlock I heard a sound from the other end of the dimly lit parking lot, it sounded like shouting but I couldn't see from where I was.

I left my bike and as I moved forward I could tell it was a woman shouting, I ran forward as I saw Emily struggling with a man… my heart leaping into my chest as I watched her fall to the ground as the man in the dark hoodie ran away.

* * *

**Emily's POV**

Before I knew what was happening my head was hitting the hard concrete floor and I could feel the pain straight away. _Shit. _I thought when I managed to pull myself up a little and realise what had just happened.

"Emily are you okay?" The voice was familiar and I saw Paige running over to me, I went to stand up but felt the sudden queasiness when I tried to stand. "What happened" she was saying as she reached me and bent down to my level.

"He stole my bag" I explained as I remembered how I had been heading for my car when he had appeared from nowhere and grabbed my gym bag out of my hands. In shock I had shouted and kicked my leg at him, which was when he pushed me to the floor.

Paige looked in the direction he had ran in and I could see in her eyes she was debating whether to chase after him or not, she was cocky but I wished she wouldn't be stupid.

"Don't" I said, grabbing her arm when it looked like she had decided to go after him.

"There was nothing important in there, I left my money and phone at home" I explained, I had my car keys clutched tightly in my hand, all he'd gotten away with were a few clothes and a bottle of water. She nodded at my words and focused her attention on me.

"You hit your head" she said as she looked at me. "You should go to the hospital"

"I'm fine" I said as I went to stand up again, I would be fine it was just the shock.

"You're bleeding" She explained to me with a soft but concerned smile and I lifted a hand up to touch where she was looking and felt the proof. I wanted to be off the cold floor so I tried to stand again but she didn't let me stand without helping me. I felt one hand on my waist and one on my shoulder as she steadied me. We were level now and she left her hand on my waist to steady me as she leant forward to look closer at the cut on my head.

"It looks pretty deep… you might need stiches" she spoke matter of factly and I felt my stomach flutter and I was aware of her hand on my waist as she spoke. _Maybe the bang on the head had made my brain go funny_ I justified as I felt my cheeks heat up.

"Don't tell me you're an expert at fixing people as well as cars" I teased.

"Well I watch Grey's Anatomy" She shrugged with a smile and seemed confident enough in my ability to stand unaided as she let go of my waist.

"Give me your keys" She said casually and I looked at her in confusion.

"Why?" I asked but handed her the car keys anyway… hopefully I wasn't about to get robbed two times in a row.

"Because I'm driving you to the hospital" she replied.

"Paige honestly I'll be fine, I'm just a little woozy I just need a minute to sit down"

She took a few steps backwards and the indicated with her finger for me to come to her. I gave her a curious look before I followed but found it harder to walk in a straight line than I had thought. She laughed lightly as she held her hand up and pressed the unlock button on the car keys. The lights of the car flashed and made my head spin. She was right… I might have _mild _concussion.

She rummaged in her backpack and pulled out what looked like a t-shirt of some kind, she ripped a strip of it off before I could ask what she was doing and she folded it into a square. "Here" She said handing me the piece of fabric from her, now ruined, t-shirt. "Apply a little pressure to your forehead so you don't bleed out on your fancy looking leather seats" she flashed me a smile and I held the piece of fabric in my hand dumbly. I still felt light headed and this girl knew how to do everything.

When I didn't move my hand she stepped forward and guided my hand for me. "It helps if you actually put it to your head" she laughed as I finally took control of my own hand and held it in place.

"Thanks" I said as she went to the passenger door and opened it for me, I settled in the seat with a bit of a wobble and she closed the door before she got in the driver's side. It was weird being in the passenger seat of my own car… it was even weirder that Paige was here with me.

"Wait… do you even know how to drive a stick?" I asked, realising my car wasn't automatic.

She gave me an amused smile and nodded, putting the car into reverse and driving away smoothly. _Of course she knew. _

It wasn't far to the hospital and Paige pulled up outside of the Emergency department. By now my head was feeling worse, it was like it was growing heavier and I could feel the piece of fabric becoming damper as the blood soaked into it.

As I got out of the car Paige spoke to me from the window.

"Wait here, I'll park up and be right back" She explained and drove to where she could park my car. It wasn't long before she was jogging back towards me and I felt bad for how much trouble she was going to.

"Thank You… I'll be okay now if you want to head home"

She shook her head. "Come on" She said as she dismissed what I was saying, leading me into the emergency room.

We didn't have to wait long to see a doctor, Paige sat next to me as he examined the damage to my head.

"It's quite a deep cut" He said and I could tell Paige was pleased with her correct diagnosis.

"You'll need a few stitches to help it heal properly… but apart from that you'll be alright. Just be careful for the next few days and if you begin to feel any dizziness come back in" He explained and I was relieved it wasn't anything serious. "Someone will be with you soon to see to those stitches" he added before he left.

"Here… you can borrow my cell" Paige was saying to me now. It was then that I remembered that I should probably call the police and tell them what had happened. The fact that the bag had contained nothing important had distracted me from the fact I had just been _robbed._

"Thanks… I _should _probably call the police"

Paige smiled a little "Oh yeah that too" I gave her a curious look. "I was going to say you might want to call your boyfriend and tell him what happened… I'm sure he's worried about you" she explained, passing me her iPhone.

"Oh yeah" I nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed I hadn't thought of calling Ben as my first instinct.

She nodded and stood up from where she was sat. "Do you want a drink?"

"I'm good thanks" I told her as she disappeared in search of her own drink and I unlocked the phone in my hand. I typed in his number that I could only just remember, hoping it was right. I did a quick scan around and saw that there was no one that close to me as I knew you weren't meant to use your phone in a hospital, I pressed call.

He answered quickly and I told him what had happened and that I was okay before he could have a chance to panic.

"How did you get to hospital, please tell me you didn't drive?" He was asking as I could hear him getting ready to leave the apartment to come and meet me, even though I insisted he didn't need to.

"Paige drove me" I answered, only afterwards remembering he didn't know who Paige was.

"Paige?"

"She's a girl I coach… she works at the sport centre too" I explained. "She's been great" I said just as I saw Paige returning with two cups in her hands.

"That's good" Ben was saying. "Right I'm just getting in the car I won't be long" we said our goodbyes and he hung up.

"I know you said you didn't want a drink… but I got you some water… seen as that jerk stole yours" she smiled at me as she passed me the plastic cup. I took a sip and was thankful for it after all.

The doctor who was stitching the cut in my forehead arrived at the same time Ben walked through the doors. I watched the way Paige stood up and shifted away from her position next to me when he arrived.

He rushed forward and started fussing over me and I told him I was fine as the doctor began to take my head and begin his work. I could see Paige from the corner of my eye and she suddenly seemed unsure of herself… it was almost alien to see. Maybe she felt like a bit of a spare part now Ben was here. I tried to catch her eye and gave her a thankful smile; she smiled back at me softly. It reassured me to have her here and it was completely crazy as I hardly knew this girl.

"I'm going to head off" She said as she put her hands in the pocket of her jeans.

"Thank you for looking after her" Ben thanked for me.

Paige looked at him and just nodded, I didn't miss her lack of smile.

"Paige, we can give you a ride home or back to the sport centre" I protested, it was the least I could do. My protest was quiet and still though as I was aware of what the doctor was doing to my head.

"It's fine… honestly. I hate the smell of hospitals it'll be nice to get some fresh air" She gave me a little wave and turned on her heel to leave, not even giving me a chance to thank her properly. I watched her leave and I felt that strange feeling in my gut again. _Maybe the bang to my head was worse than I thought._

* * *

"I swear to God if I get my hands on this punk…" Ben was cursing again as he drove me home.

"Well that's not gonna happen because I already told you I didn't see his face" I explained again. Ben was worked up about the thought of this guy hurting me. "I'm fine honestly, I just want to go home and get to bed and in the morning I'll report it to the police"

Ben gave up protesting and nodded.

"But you'll have to do it early, we have to make sure we set off by 9 or we'll be late"

"Late for what?" My mind was blank.

"You got amnesia now babe?" He teased me and earned an unamused look from my direction.

"Your parents" he looked at me like I was an idiot.

"Oh I totally forgot that was tomorrow" I said. I'd already booked the time off work I just hadn't realised that it was that date already. We were staying at my parents for three nights and going to my cousins wedding who lived a few hours away from my parents for one night. "Urgh I'm going to look great at the wedding with this on my head" I pointed to the stitches.

"It is sort of badass" he laughed.

"So what's the deal with that Paige chick?" I almost laughed out loud at his choice of words. Paige did not seem like the 'chick' type.

"What do you mean?"

"She seemed a bit intense" He said casually and I raised an eyebrow at him. _Really? _I said internally_. I_ knew she could be intense, when she was swimming, or when she was mocking you or showing off… but right there in the hospital she hadn't seemed intense; she had been caring and selfless and endearing.

"I didn't notice" I said casually as we pulled up outside our apartment block.

After Ben had insisted on running me a bath I was finally in bed and settled down, careful not to sleep with my head pressed against the pillows. I was tired, both from the dance work out and the stress of tonight and I let my eyes close. I felt Ben get in bed next to me and he slid his arm around my waist under the covers.

I shivered involuntarily as I remembered the way Paige had put her hand around my waist this evening. I snapped my eyes open as I realised the thought I was having was completely wrong. I couldn't think about the way the younger girls hand felt on my waist, or how her voice sounded when she was making an amateur medical diagnosis or the way her grin made my stomach flutter. I definitely couldn't have those thoughts. That wasn't me, I wasn't that girl. I wasn't the person who turned into a quivering mess at the actions of one girl… not since Alison anyway. I concentrated on Ben's hand around my waist, I concentrated on the realities of my life, the trip to see my family, the wedding, my job, my adult relationship… the real tangible parts of my world, the parts that were wholesome and simple and safe. And Paige McCullers was none of those things.

* * *

_She took my hand in hers as she pulled me behind the curtain of the dressing room. I followed her with a small giggle as she pulled the curtain tightly shut._

"_Try this one on Em… it'll look amazing with your skin tone" she said in that all knowing way she had. I shrugged out of the shirt I was wearing, feeling less self-conscious when I saw her pulling her own t-shirt over her head so she was just in her pink bra. She pulled on a blue top in its place as I put the dress she had picked out for me on._

"_See I told you… you look gorgeous" she put her hands on my shoulders and began to smooth the fabric down. I felt my stomach flutter at her compliment and my cheeks start to blush._

"_You look good too" I found my voice. _

"_Of course I do" She laughed happily and span me round. _

_Before I knew what was happening she pressed her lips against mine and I clumsily shut my eyes as I felt her smooth lips against my own, unable to breathe for a moment. It was happening again and I was sure it wasn't meant to be like this but I was incapable of stopping it even if I wanted to. My heart was beating in my chest when she pulled back and greeted me with that same smile she always wore. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and pouted into the mirror again._

"_We'll look so good at the party Em… I hope Ian's there to see me in this outfit" she giggled casually, as if what had just happened hadn't happened at all. _

_I couldn't find any words to say, I didn't know why she had just kissed me again. I thought last time it had happened it was because she was upset about breaking up with that older boy she was seeing but she had just kissed me again like it was no big deal. It felt like a big deal. _

_I wasn't like Alison, I had never kissed a boy… apart from Jimmy Jackson in 5__th__ grade and that hadn't qualified as a proper kiss. We were both thirteen but Ali sometimes acted like she was so much older than me and left me feeling like a little kid._

_I didn't question the kiss because I didn't want to hear her tell me that I just didn't understand these things… and part of me didn't want to risk the chance of it never happening again. _

I woke up when the sound of the alarm filled my mind wiping the dream I was having away and startling me awake. _It was more of a memory than a dream_ I corrected myself. I was surprised at how vivid it felt in my mind still even though it was so many years ago. I turned the alarm off and sat up in bed, resting my hands in my palms. It was then I remembered the cut on my forehead and I was careful not to knock the stitches.

I rubbed my eyes carefully, why was I dreaming about Ali again?… I hadn't dreamt about her… or my feelings for her for a long time. I felt strange when I thought about it so I tried to avoid it. I convinced myself that the reason I still thought about it was because I'd never had a chance to grow up with her, to learn what she really meant to me as a friend, a chance to get over all that teenage excitement of having a best friend you loved with all your heart. My feelings for her were complex and I knew it… but remembering how I had felt that day and the next time she had taken me to the kissing rock to 'practice for boys'… I knew there was more there than I had ever admitted to myself.

"You okay babe?" Ben had entered the room with cups of coffee. "Is your head sore?"

He shocked me from my thoughts about my dream and I shook my head at his question. "No, I just had a weird dream" I answered honestly.

"Too many painkillers before bed"

"Yeah" I agreed half-heartedly… but part of me was worried I knew the reason Alison was on my mind so much at the moment... and that reason was probably swimming laps in the pool right now.

"Did I ever tell you about Alison?" I found myself saying to Ben.

He didn't look up from what he was doing packing socks into his suitcase. "Alison? I don't think so… who's Alison?" He asked casually.

"Just an old friend" I said quietly… maybe I didn't need to talk about this after all.

He didn't press me any further and I was glad about that. I got out of bed after I had drank my coffee and headed for the shower.

I got under the shower forgetting about the cut on my forehead before I questioned whether I was allowed to get it wet or not, I settled on being safe and was careful to stick my head away from the jet of water. _Paige would know the answer_ I thought with a little laugh, _she knows everything. _I couldn't help but smile when I thought about how multi-talented that girl was… she had a right to be cocky.

As I got out of the shower I saw Ben's cell phone on the nightstand and flicked through his recent received calls to find the unsaved number that must have been Paige's. I got my own phone and copied the number to my contacts.

I typed her a quick message, stopping for a moment to consider if it was inappropriate as her coach to text her but I realised it was okay if I was just thanking her for helping me last night. '**Thank you for your help last night, and sorry about your t-shirt' **I didn't sign the text _she would know its me_ I thought as I pressed send.

"Em hurry up we need to set off soon" Ben shouted from the kitchen. I put the phone back on the nightstand and started getting ready. I had real life to attend to.

* * *

**Thank You for reading! I love you all. Please review? pretty please? :D**


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